The Principles of Christian Religion, Principle 4
¶Of Repentaunce.
¶What Repentaunce is.
REpentaunce is an inward sorow of the mind, wrought by the holy ghost, for the sumes tofore committed agaynst God, ioyned both with a perfect fayth to be forgeuen for Christes sake, and also with a full determined purpose frō henceforth to amend, and to lead a new life.
☜Probations out of the holy Scriptures.
I now reioyce,…. Cor. vij. not that ye were sory, but y• ye so sorrowed, that ye repented. For ye sorrowed godly: so that in nothing ye were hurt by vsus. For the sor…ow ye is wrought by God, causeth repētance vntounto saluation, not … be repented of: cōtrariwise, worldly sorow causeth death.
The serua…nt of God must in…ourme them that resist the truth,…j. Tim. ij. if that God at any tyme will geue them repentaunce for to know the truth, and that they may come to them selues againe out of the snare of the deuill, which are holden of hym captiue at hys will.
… me,lere. 31. O Lorde, & I shall be conuerted: for thou art my Lord God. …ea, as soone as thou turnedst me, I repented, and as soone as thou shewedst my sinnes vntounto me, I smote my thigh: yea, I was confoūded, and right greatly ashamed.
O Lord,Lamēt. v. turne thou vsus vntounto thee, and so shall we be tur…ed.
I will poure cleane water vponupon you,Ezech. 36. & ye shall be cleane: yea, frō all your vncleannes, & frō all your Idols shall I clense you. A new hart also wil I geue you, and a new spirite will I put into you. As for that …ony hart, I wil take it out of your body, and geue you a fleshy hart. I will geue my spirite among you, and cause you to walke in my commaundementes, to kepe my lawes, & to fulfill them. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
O thou God of Hostes,Psa. lxxx. turne thou vsus, & shewe vsus the light of thy countenance, & we shall be whole.
¶Of the fruites of repentaunce declared by the worde of God.
Seeke the Lord while he may be found:Esa. lv. and call vponupon him while he is nie. Let the vngodly man forsake hys owne wayes, and the vnrighteous his own imaginations, and turne againe vntounto the Lord, so shall he be mercifull vntounto him: and to our God, for he is very ready to forgeue.
O Israell,Iere. iiij. if thou wilt turne thee, then turne vntounto me, saith the Lord. And if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, thou shalt not be moued.
Be circumcised in the Lord, and cut away y• foreskin of your hartes, that my indignation breake not forth lyke fire, & kindle, so that no man may quench it, because of the wickednes of your imaginations.
If the vngodly will turne awayEzecb. 18. from all his sinnes that he hath done, and keepe all my commaundementes, and do the thing that is equall and right, doubtles he shall liue & not die. As for all his sumes that he did before, they shall not be thought vpō: but in his righteousnes that he hath done, he shall liue. For hauehave I any pleasure in y• death of a sinner (sayth the Lorde God) but rather that he cōuert and liue?
Be conuerted, and turne you cleane from all your wickednes, so shall there no sinne do you harme. Cast away from you all your vngodlines that ye hauehave done. Make you new hartes, and a new spirite. Wherfore will ye die (O ye house of Israell)? seing I hauehave no pleasure in the death of him that dieth (sayth the Lorde God). Turne ye then, and ye shall liue.
As truely as I liue (sayth y• Lord God) I hauehave no pleasure in theEzecb. 33. death of the wicked, but much rather that the wicked turne from hys way & liue. Turne you, turne you from your vngodly wayes, O ye house of Israell. Oh wherefore will ye die.
The wickednes of the wicked shall not hurt hym, when soeuer he conuerteth from hys vngodlines.
Turne you vntounto me (sayth the Lord of Hostes) and I will turne me vntounto you.Zach. j.
Turne you vntounto me with all your hartes,Ioell. ij. with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rent your hartes, and not your clothes. Turne you vntounto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and mercifull, long suffering, and of great compassion, and ready to pardon wickednes.
Repent of the life that is past,Mat. iij. for the kingdome of heauē is at hand.
Bring forth the fruites that belongeth vntounto repentance.Mat. xj. For euen now is the axe put vntounto the roote of the tree: so that eueryevery tree which bringeth not forth good fruite, is hewen down, & cast into the fire.
I am not come to call the righteo…s,Math. ix. but sinners to repentance.
Come vntounto me all ye that labour and are laden,Mat. xj. and I will ease you.
Repent and beleue the Gospell.Mar. j.
I say vntounto you,Luke. xv. that ioy shall bee in heauen ouer one sinner that repēteth, more then ouer ninetie and nine iust persons, which neede no repentaunce.
The sonne of man is come to …eke,Luke. xix. & to saue that which was lost.
Repent and conuert,Acte. iij. that your sinnes may be done away.
As ye hauehave geuen your members seruauntes to vncleannes,Rom. vj. and to iniquitie (from one iniquitie to an other) euen so now geue ouer your members seruauntes vntounto righteousnes, that ye may be sanctified.
Put of that olde man,Ephe. iiij. which is corrupt according to the deceaueable lustes, and bee ye renued in the spirite of your minde, putting on that new man, which after God is shapen in righteousnes and true holines.
Mortifi… your earthy members,Coloss. iij. fornication, vncleannes, vnnaturall lust, euill cōcupiscence, and couetousnes, which is worshipping of Idoles. For which thinges sake, the wrath of God vseth to come on the disobedient children, among whom ye walked sometime, when ye liued in them. But now put ye also away frō you all such thinges, wrath, fearcenes, maliciousnes, cursed speaking, filthy cōmunication. Lie not one to an other, seing that ye hauehave put of the olde man with his workes, and hauehave put on the new mā, which is renued into the knowledge and image of hym that made hym. Therfore as the electe of God, holy, and beloued, put on tender mercy, kindnes, humblenes of minde, meekenes, long suffering, forbearing one an other, and forgeuing one an other, if any man hauehave a quarrell agaynst an other: as Christ forgaue you, euen so do ye. Aboue all these thinges, put on louelove; which is the bond of perfection. And what soeuer ye doe, in word, or deede, doe all in the name of the Lord Iesu, geuing thank… to God the father by hym.